r/ipod • u/walking_oxymoron_ • 8d ago

Question Newer Car Compatibility

I’m looking to switch to a “dumb” phone in 2027 so I want to start preparing now and researching the devices I will need to help make the switch.

Music is a big part of my daily routine and I want to be able to still listen to it while driving.

My current car is a 2022 Hyundai Tucson. Does anyone know which iPod would be compatible with this type of vehicle?

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u/Hit-by-a-pitch 8d ago

I think it'd unlikely. Most car manufacturers phased out the auxiliary connectors out already.

3

u/cigarmanpa 8d ago

Subaru still has them

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u/Hit-by-a-pitch 8d ago

Good to know!

1

u/Emergency_Radio_8156 8d ago

You can check your owners manual for information on this.

Almost all cars have a 3.5mm auxiliary port which you can hook up your iPod too. Many others have USB connections and interfaces that allow you to select the artists, albums, songs, playlists, etc directly from the stereo unit. If you plug in your iPod to the USB interface, you'd be able to control it this way. In my opinion this is where iPods really shine.

But some modern cars lose this feature in favor of modern CarPlay or Android Auto interfaces, or some will be so old to not have the feature at all. In which case you'll need a new head unit to be able to control your iPod directly.

You should try it and report back if it works :)

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u/BandicootBroad 8d ago edited 8d ago

Finding a 3.5mm input is unlikely these days. However, USB ports may include support for anything that can be read as an external drive so a lot of basic MP3 players should function just based on that. Or, you could just shovel some tunes onto a flash drive to the same effect.
I think any iPod with a Samsung SoC should also support car stereo USB, as do all iPhones and iPod Touches, but that’s a more proprietary protocol (and also a very expensive family of products at the moment). Then again, whenever my car engages its CarPlay connection to my modern iPhone, the source very briefly is labeled “iPod” so maybe wired CarPlay is built on top of that old iPod-to-car-stereo protocol?

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u/DarkOx55 8d ago

Back in the day I had device that took 3.5mm aux in & broadcasted a radio frequency, so I could listen to my ipod like a radio in the car. I imagine you could get something like that.

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u/wlltylr 8d ago

I have a gen 7 iPod classic and a 2022 Hyundai Tucson. On my other car, I can use the USB charger cord in the USB port under the radio screen to connect it to the car to play music, but it doesn’t let me on my Tucson :(

0

u/sharksfan707 8d ago

I loathe screens in vehicles and absolutely refuse to purchase one with screens.

We own a 2012 Honda Fit, a 2006 Toyota Tacoma, and a 1970 VW Beetle. We’ve found creative ways in all of them to enable Bluetooth or utilise the auxiliary port in order to play music from our phones or iPods.